RoboTera: Wireless Sub-Terahertz Sensing for Friction Inference in Robotic Systems

Advanced sensing and perception have become vital for ensuring robust and safe operations in cyber-physical systems, yet robots still remain blind to one of physics' most fundamental forces when it comes to physical interactions with the world: friction. While tactile sensors require direct contact and extensive surface exploration, accurate non-contact friction estimation demands capabilities beyond existing robots' imaging modalities like cameras and LiDAR. This article introduces RoboTera, the first robotic system to harness sub-Terahertz perception for non-contact friction inference, unlocking new possibilities for safer, more intelligent robotic interaction with the physical world.